FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — A Fort Leonard Wood company supply sergeant and her civilian technician counterpart were recognized this month by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command for their exceptional work.
Staff Sgt. Lorian Ottey and Devin Adkins, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, use data-driven analysis to predict which supplies will be needed for their unit in the future; they then prepare customizable supply packages for incoming trainees before each 10-week Basic Combat Training cycle.
Due to current Defense Department travel restrictions, Maj. Gen. Donna Martin, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, presented the award here June 12 on behalf of TRADOC.
Company E is the first on Fort Leonard Wood to receive such an award, Adkins said.
“I think it’s momentous,” said Capt. Max Seo, company commander. “It is a monumental achievement for the company. (They) set a goal and definitely achieved that.”
When asked what the recognition meant for her, Ottey dedicated the limelight to her teammates.
“For me, personally, it’s pretty amazing, but this is really for all the supply sergeants who think their work really goes unnoticed,” Ottey said. “I absolutely thought we would make it this far because of the team effort that was put in. We all worked on this packet for long hours – sometimes on weekends.”
The duo, who have worked side-by-side for about 18 months, previously earned a MSCoE-level award last winter.
“It’s nice to know that there are programs like the supply excellence award out there that’s going around and looking at the work we do,” Adkins said. “Ottey and I have worked diligently in the supply room, making things work smoothly and to find ways to make things more efficient, and it’s nice to be recognized for that.”
Ottey said her job has changed in the era of COVID-19, but that she finds it rewarding to ensure new arrivals to Fort Leonard Wood have all the equipment they need to stay safe.
“It’s more supplies, more cleaning supplies, a whole bunch of hand sanitizers, sanitizing stations,” Adkins added. “Everybody’s wearing their face masks. So it’s been a challenge, but I think that we’ve been able to handle it pretty well.”
Seo agreed and praised the efforts of the supply team, which, he said, can be overlooked.
“Logistics is one of the critical functions of the Army,” he said. “You don’t realize how important – how vital it is – until you don’t have it.”
1st Sgt. Fernando Hurdle said while the pandemic has taxed capabilities, he believes it will result in a higher level of readiness across supply chains.
“This whole pandemic is stressing the supply chain, so if we can do it in this environment, when we go back to normal … it’s going to be a piece of cake,” he said.
Ottey and Atkins are currently semifinalists for the Army level supply excellence award, winners of which will be determined after inspections that depend on travel restrictions being lifted, company leadership said.
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